A prior art light emitting diode (LED) package 10 is shown in FIG. 1A. The (LED) package 10 includes a package substrate 12 and a light emitting diode (LED) die 14 mounted to the package substrate 12 configured to emit electromagnetic radiation 16, such as light rays having a desired wavelength. The (LED) die 14 can comprise a vertical light emitting diode (VLED) die, a horizontal light emitting diode (LED) die or a flip chip light emitting diode die (FCLED). In addition, the (LED) die 14 can wire bonded to the package substrate 12 or flip chip mounted to the package substrate 12. The (LED) package 10 also includes a lens 18 typically formed of a molded plastic material, such as epoxy or silicone, configured to cover and protect the (LED) die 14. One problem with the (LED) package 10 is that the molded plastic lens 18 tends to degrade with time and to absorb the electromagnetic radiation 16, particularly UV radiation. Another problem is that with a wire bonded (LED) die, the wire bonding between the (LED) die 14 and the package substrate 12 tends to have defects and can also degrade with time.
Another prior art light emitting diode (LED) package 20 is shown in FIG. 1B. The (LED) package 20 includes a package substrate 22 and a light emitting diode (LED) die 24 mounted to the package substrate 22 configured to emit electromagnetic radiation 26. The (LED) die 24 can comprise a vertical light emitting diode (VLED) die, a horizontal light emitting diode (LED) die or a flip chip light emitting diode die (FCLED), which can be wire bonded or flip chip mounted to the package substrate 22. In this case, a glass lens 28 attaches to the package substrate 22 and protects the (LED) die 24. The glass lens 28 does not degrade as with the molded plastic lens 18 (FIG. 1A) but can be more expensive to manufacture as it requires additional elements, such as an attaching adhesive and an encapsulant for the (LED) die 24. Wire bonding of the (LED) die 24 to the package substrate 22 can also produce defects and can degrade with usage.
The present disclosure is directed to a light emitting diode (LED) package having a lens support dam for supporting a transparent lens. The lens support dam permits the lens to be made of a non-degrading material, such as glass or quartz, without the requirement of additional elements and expensive manufacturing steps. The light emitting diode (LED) package also includes same side electrodes, which permit the (LED) package to be mounted to a circuit board using a chip-on-board semiconductor assembly technique without wire bonding. This improves the reliability and provides a smaller footprint for the (LED) package.
However, the foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings. Similarly, the following embodiments and aspects thereof are described and illustrated in conjunction with a flip chip light emitting diode (FCLED) die which are meant to be exemplary and illustrative, not limiting in scope.